Sony lists shops for ú20m game

Sony is shortlisting agencies to handle a ú20m advertising campaign across Europe in the build up to the launch of its Playstation video game system.

Sony is shortlisting agencies to handle a £20m advertising campaign across Europe in the build up to the launch of its Playstation video game system.

The company will not comment on the list, but it is believed to comprise: Abbott Mead Vickers.BBDO, GGT, Lowe Howard-Spink, Bartle Bogle Hegarty, Leo Burnett, Simons Palmer Denton Clemmow & Johnson and Collett, Dickenson Pearce. Sony will reduce the list to three this week.

The appointment of an agency is being overseen by Chris Deering, Sony Computer Entertainment Europe president.

The company is considering applications for a marketing director and marketing team for Playstation.

Playstation, which represents Sony’s first foray into the games market, features TV-quality graphics and is billed as at the forefront of the next generation of computer games. It will be launched in September, and Sony is expecting to sell 1 million units in Europe in the first year.

It will face fierce competition from both Sega and Nintendo. Sega is also gearing up for the autumn with its CD-based game Saturn. Nintendo, meanwhile, is to launch Ultra 64, although a firm launch date has not been fixed.